Sand-blast apparatus



J. E. GREEN.

SAND BLAST APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. 1916.

1 42?,206, Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR t III 111 G g E J. E. GREEN.

SAND BLAST APPARATUS.

APPL!CAT'ON FILED on 9. 19:6.

1,4g7,g05 Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

H 33 [I IHIII WITNESSES J. E. GREEN.

SAND BLAST APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. 1916.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WITNESSES INVENTOR J. E. GREEN.

SAND BLAST APPARATUS.

LICATION FILED OCT. 9, 1916.

1 A27,26. Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

IHTH IIHIIIHI 4/ xdZ A T 57 Z0 7 Mm HGQ WITNESSES INVENTOR UNHTEED STATES entrant @FFHCIE.

' JOHN E. GREEN, OF JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAND-BLAST APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 31922.

Application filed October 9, 1916. Serial No. 124,648.

pressed air or similar elastic fluid. The invention more particularly relates to the construction and arrangement of the means employed in storing and conducting the sand into the path of the stream of compressed air and in regulating and controlling the air supply and introduction of the sand into the stream of compressed air.

One object of my invention is to provide sand blast apparatus having novel means wherein a supply of sand is stored, and whereby regulated quantities of the sand are discharged into the path of a stream of compressed air,'are conducted by the compressed air within a suitable conduit to the nozzle of the conduit and are discharged from the conduit nozzle at a high velocity and caused to impact with great force against the surfaces of the article being sand blasted.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sand blast apparatus having novel means for controlling the delivery of sand into the compressed air conduit and for preventing and overcoming clogging of the conduit by the sand introduced into the conduit.

A further object of this invention is to provide sand blast apparatus having novel means whereby the flow of sand from the sand hopper into the compressed air conduit is regulated and shut off.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of sand blast apparatus having the novel combination and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, to be hereinafter described in detail and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reterringnow to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation showing one embodiment of sand blast apparatus constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a similar elevation at right angles to-that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan ofthe apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional elevation showing on a larger scale the construction ofone form of valve body and valve adapted for use with apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 5 is a transverse section of the apparatus shown in Figure 4, the section being taken on the line VV of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an elevation partly in section, similar to that of Figure 1, showing certain modifications in my improved apparatus.

Figure 7 is a partial elevation at right angles to that of Figure 6. a

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale, showing details in the construc tion of the modified valve and valve chamber used with the apparatus of Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 9 is a transverse section of the apparatus shown in Figure 8, the section being taken on the line IXIX of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional plan on the line X-X of Figure l and line X-X of Figure 6 showing the construction of the sliding gate or shutter forming part of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 2 denotes a cylindrical, air-tight hopper or sand receiver which extends lengthwise vertically and has a flange 3 riveted or otherwise secured on each of its ends. The hopper 2 as shown is erected on a working floor 4 and projects upwardly above a platform or upper floor 5 from which the sand supply is loaded into the hopper 2.

A head 6 secured by bolts 7 to the flange 3 on the upper end of the hopper, with a suit- .able gasket therebet-ween to'form an airnected at its bent end to the lugs or cars 13 j on the head 6 so as to form a hinge for the cover plate 9'. The opposite bifurcated end of the clamping bar 12 is arranged to embrace the eyebolt 14, which has its screw threaded end adjustably secured to the clevis 15 pivoted to the lug 16 on the head 6.. Pivoted on the eye-bolt 14 is a clamp lever 17 having cam faces 17 which engage with the bifurcated end of the clamping bar 12 to tightly fasten the cover plate 9 in closing position. This construction provides a detachable'fastening for the cover plate 9 enabling the sand inlet to the hopper 2 to be easily and quickly opened and closed.

The flange 3 on the lower end of the hopper 2 is supported upon and is fastened to a downwardly and inwardly converging hopper extension 18. In the construction of Figures 1 to 5 the extension 18 is supported upon a casing or body 42 in which the gate orshutter 41 is slidably mounted, and the casing 42, in turn, is supported upon the flange on the upper end of the valve body 19.

The casing 42 has an opening therethrough which connects the interior of the hopper extension 18 with the vertical branch or sand inlet 20 on the valve body 19.

The sand inlet or chamber 20 which tapers downwardly and inwardly opens into the upper part of the cylindrical axially horizontal chamber 21 in the valve body 19.

The axially horizontal chamber 21 is closed at its ends by heads or flanges 22 and 23, the head 22 having a recess therein forming a bearing for the stub end of the stem or shaft-24 for the rotatable valve 25 mounted in the chamber 21. The head 22 also has a hand-hole therein which is normally closed by means of a hand-hole cover 26. vThe other head 23 has an axial opening therein throughwhich the adjacent end of the valve shaft 24 extends, a stuffing box 27 and gland 28 being provided to maintain an air-tight joint between the head 23 and the rotary valve stem or shaft 24. A lever 29 secured on the outer end of the shaft 24provides means for manually turning the valve 25 within the chamber 21 to regulate or shut off the flow-of sand from the hopper 2 into the valve chamber 21,- and by rotating the valve 25 to loosen and discharge an accumulation of sand within the chamber and conduit 30.

The lower side of the chamber of Figures 1 to 5 opens into the top of a conduit 30, which extends horizontally lengthwise at right angles to the horizontal axis of the chamber 21 in the valve body 19, and the valve body 19 is provided with feet 31 by which it is secured on a suitable foundation 32, this foundation supporting the valve body and sand hopper (see Figures 1 and 2).

The conduit 30 has flanges or closures 33 and 38 on its ends, and screwed into the threaded opening in the closures 33 is one end of a nipple forming part of the air supmenace ply pipe 34. The pipe 34 extends vertically upward and is connected to an air compressor or other source of supply of compressed air, a valve 35 on the air supply line 34 being employed to shut off the supply of air when 7 found necessary or desirable.

A T 36 is provided on the air supply pipe 34 at a point between the globe valve 35iand closure 33 on one end of the conduit 30 in the valve body 19, and the branch outlet of this T is connected to an air pipe 37 which extends upwardly and after turning inwardly opens into the air inlet 37 on the upper end of the sand hopper 2, so that when the valve 35 on the air line 34 is opened, com pressed air will'be admitted not only to the conduit 30 in the valve body 19 at the bottom of the sand hopper 2, but also to the top of the sand hopper above the level of the body of sand maintained within this hopper.

In this way the air pressure at the top and at the discharge outlet of the hopper 2 is equalized and the sand in the hopper is forced downwardly by the air pressure and weight of the sand through the valve chamber 21 into the mixing chamber 30. The closure 38 which has a nipple or short piece of'pipe 39 screwed therein has an annular projection extending into the conduit 30 in the valve body. Secured on the outer end of the nipple 39 is one end of a rubber hose or other flexible conduit 40 through which the mixture of' sand and air passes from the conduit 30 in the valvebody 19. I

A suitable nozzle, the construction of which will vary with the use to which the sand blast is put and which may be any of the various known forms of nozzle, will be secured to the outer end of the flexible ter plate 41 is slidably mounted in a casing or body 42 andthe casing is inserted be tween the bottom flange of the hopper extension 18 and the flange on the upper end of the inlet chamber 20in the valve body 19*. The sliding gate 41 provides means for shutting off the supply of sand to the valve chamber and mixing chamber when desired, as for example, when an over supply of sand chokes or clogs up the conduit 55 in the ap paratus of Figures 6 to 10 or conduit 30, when the gate 41 is used with the apparatus of Figures 1 to 5 and when making repairs to the lower end of the sand blasting apparatus.

- place in the valve body 19. The flange 50 A rod 43 fastened at one end to the gate 41 extends horizontally through the stuffing box 44 and gland 45 on the casing 42 and the outer end of the rod 43 is bent to form a handle 46 for manipulating the sliding gate in opening or closing the inlet 20.

The hopper extension 18 and casing 41 of Figures 6 to 10 are supported on the valve body 19 and the valve body is provided with feet 31 whichrest upon a suitable base or foundation in the same manner as in Figures 1 and 2'.

The valve body 19 of Figures 6 to 10 differs somewhat from that of Figures 1 to 5.

The principal difierences are in the construction of the valve and in the location of the conduit through which air enters the valve body and the mixture of air and sand passes out of the valve body.

The valve body 19 of Figures 6 to 10 has a hollow lining or sleeve 47 within what corresponds to the chamber 21 of Figures 4 and 5 and within the sleeve 47 a rotatable valve 48 is mounted which is the equivalent of the valve 25 of Figures 4 and 5. The sleeve 47 is provided with an integral flange 49 on one end by which it is fastened in at the other end of the sleeve 47 is fastened to the valve body 19 and has a stulflng'box 51 and gland 52 thereon through which one end of the hollow rotatable valve 48 projects. The valve 48 has atransverse opening 54 connecting the axial opening or conduit 55 in the valve 48 with the transverse opening 56 in the sleeve 47 which registers with the inlet 20 in the valve body 19. A handle 7 is secured on the projecting end of the valve 48 to turn the valve in opening and closing the rotatable valve.

By comparing Figures 4 and 5 with Figures 8 and 9 it will be seen that the axis of the conduit 55 coincides with the horizontal axis of the chamber within the valve body 19*, while in Figures 4 and 5 the axis of.

the conduit 30, (which corresponds to the conduit is below the horizontal axis of the chamber 21 and is axially at right anglesto the axis of the chamber 21.

The threaded opening in one end of the lining or sleeve 47 is connected to the compressed air pipe 34" and the pipe 34 which leads to a source of compressed air supply has a valve 35 to control the air supply as in the apparatus of Figures 1 to 6. The air supply line 34 has a T 36 between the valve 35 and inlet to the'conduit 55 with the branch outlet of the T connected by a pipe 37 to an air inlet 37 on the upper end of the sand hopper 2 as in Figures 1 and 2. The opposite endof the conduit 55 is connected by a flexible conduit 40 to a sand blasting nozzle in much the same manner as in the conduit 3001 Figure 1.

The operation of my improved apparatus will be readily understood. In preparing to use the apparatus of Figures 1 to 5 the gate 9 is removed from the sand inlet 8 and a quantity of dry sand is placed in the hopper 2, the hopper ordinarily being filled to a point slightly below the air inlet 37 a at the upper end of the hopper which is connected to the upper end of the air line 37. .The sand inlet 8 is then closed and the cover 9 is fastened in closed position by the quick detachable mechanism shown.

The air valve 35 is then opened to admit compressed air to the lower end of the air line 34 and chamber 21 and conduit 30, and through the branch line 37, to the sand hopper 2 above the body of sand Within-the hopper. The compressed air passes through the conduit 30 into the flexible conduit 40 and emerges through the sand blast nozzle (not shown) on the discharge end of the flexible conduit. The handle 29 on the valve shaft 24 of the mixing valve 25 is then turned to open the valve, and when in open position sand from the hopper 2 fallsdownwardly through the chamber 21 into the conduit 30 in the valve body. The sand as it drops into the mixing chamber is mixed with and carried along by the stream of air passing through the conduit into and through the flexible conduit, being discharged through the nozzle on the end of the flexible conduit 40. The operator will vary the opening movement of the valve 25 in the valve chamber so as to regulate the flow of sand from the hopper and feed the required amount of sand into the chamber 21. Should. for any reason, a quantity of sand drop from the hopper into the chamber sufficient to choke or clog the chamber 21 and conduit 30, as is possible with the apparatus of Figures 1 to 5, the operator will rotate the valve 25 by means of its handle 29 so as to positively move the collection of sand or when the chamber 21 becomes choked with sand. Meantime, the stream of compressed air will be acting on the sand clogging the chamber, which has been stirred and loosened by rotation of the valve, and will gradually carry the sand out of the chamber 30 through the flexible conduit 40 and cause it to be discharged from the nozzle on the end of the flexible conduit. The gate is then 0 )ened and the valve 25 is opened to the de. ired extent to discharge sand into the conduit 30 at the desired rate of feed.

The operation of the apparaflusbf Figure 6 to 10 is substantially the same ashas been described in connection with Figures 1 to 5.

The advantages of my inventiomwill be apparent to those skilled in the art. By the use of my improved construction the flow of the sand from the hopper into the chamber is regulated and controlled and choking of the passages leading from the hopper to the discharge nozzle on the end of the flexible conduit is avoided and overcome: The apparatus is simple, will'bereadily kept in repair, and will not require frequent and costly repair.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming my improved apparatus may be made Without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. Sand. blast apparatus comprising, in combination, a sand hopper having an outlet, a valve body having a cylindrical valve chamber extending lengthwise horizontally from side to side of said body into which said outlet discharges, a valve mounted for rotation Within said chamber, said valve having means to dislodge accumulations of sand in said chamber, means on the exterior 4 of said valve body for rotating said valve, said valve body having a mixing chamber extending horizontally lengthwise at right angles to the horizontal axis of said valve chamber and in communication therewith, said mixing chamber beingopen at both ends and having an air pressure supply pipe connected to its one end and an outlet conduit connected to its other end through which the mixture of air'and sand discharges, and a connection from said air supply pipe extending upwardly and in communication with the interior of said sand hopper.

2. Sand blast apparatus comprising, in

(OIDblIIfIt-lOIl, a sand'hopper, having an outlet, a valve body having a cylindrical cha n her into which said outlet discharges, a slidingv gate for shutting off the hopper outlet from said cylindrical chamber, said valve body having a mixing chamber below-and communicating with said cylindrical chamber, means connecting said mixing chamber and said sand hopper with a source of fluid pressure, a valve for controlling the flow of fluid pressure into said mixing chamber and sand hopper, a discharge conduit connected I to the outlet end of said mixing chamber, a rotatable valve within said cylindrical chamber for controlling the flow of sand into said chamber, and means on the exterior of said valve body for rotating said valve to discharge accumulations of sand within the chamber. l l

3. Sand blast apparatus comprising, in combination, a sand hopper having an outlet, a valve body having a chamber into which said outlet. discharges, a sliding gate for shutting'ofl" the hopper outlet from said chamber, a conduit leading out of the chamber, means conneotihg the conduit and the sand hopper with a source of fluid pressure, a valve for controlling the flow of fluid pres sure into the conduit and sand hopper, a flexible conduit forgconn'ecting a sand discharge nozzle with the outlet .end of the conduit, a rotatable valye within the sand chamber for controlling the flow sand into the chamber, and means for rotating said valve 'to dislodge accumugations of/sand within the chamber. ,1 l

4. A' sand blas apparatus comprising in combination, a sa nd hopper having an outlet, a valve body having'a chamber into which said outl' t discharges, a sliding gate for shutting o the hopper outlet from said chamber, said valve body having a hollow interior, means connecting the interior of said valve .{body and said hopper with a source of fluid pressure, a discharge conduit in communication with the interior of said valve body, a rotatable valve mounted in said valve body for controlling the flow of sand from said chamber, and means for rotating said valve to discharge accumulations of sand Within said valve body;

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hands.

JOHN E. GREEN.

Witnesses:

W. MILT. BROWN, H. W. SMITH. 

